California proud band, The Neighbourhood, sold out 9:30 Club on Monday September 28, that a second show was added the following day. The once mysterious band is now very well known and adored by their fans. 9:30 Club was packed, with the majority of “hoodlum” fans being young girls. In between songs there was no silence, as the fans screamed passionately for the next song to begin.

The Neighbourhood has said before, that they are much more than a band of five musicians but have a whole team that makes up The Neighbourhood. The extended family creates the band’s visuals that were originally the face of the band, when they first emerged on the internet. Now those stunning visuals are brought to the live show. “The Flood 2015” tour is packed with an impressive light show and video screen visuals that captivated the audience.

It seemed like everyone had their cell phones out at times to record the concert.

The visuals were all unique, keeping the show fresh and complimented the live performance. The Neighbourhood continues to experiment with their sound, incorporating hip­hop influences and collaborators. The band premiered songs off their new album “Wiped Out,” available for pre­order and to be released October 30th. They made a big splash in the main stream radio with their single “Sweater Weather.”

As expected fans were excited when sweater weather was performed but were just as excited to hear the newest singles, especially the more energetic songs. Given the fans reactions to the old and new songs, reinforces that The Neighbourhood is far from a one hit wonder buzz band.

I received and honorable mention for my image of Juelles Chester, that I submitted to their cover contest. I knew it was a stretch from their style but am excited that they liked my image and featured it in their magazine along with some of their other favorites!

Aurora is a fashion editorial I shot in January, and was published in Elléments Magazine Book 2 Spring Issue. My friend and model Victoria asked to do another shoot with me and I said yes! After all she did donate herself to me when I was just starting out shooting. She gave me full creative freedom so I just did my thing and put together an awesome team. It’s so important to have a strong team when shooting fashion. And I was super excited to have wardrobe stylist Nicolette Smith join us. I usually pull looks myself but I was able to focus on being a photographer and not worry about gathering clothes.

Gear Used:

Canon L-series 24-70mm f/2.8 lens, Canon 5D Mark ii Camera

ProPhoto, Hensel lighting.

Gaffer Tape, Color Gels, White and Black Backdrop Paper.

I wanted to play with gel lighting and get creative. The lighting didn’t change too much aside from switching out gels and adjusting the powers of the lights to get the effect I wanted.

The first four images: The kicker/red rim Hensel lights were about 3/4 of a stop higher than the key light. I used a Pro Photo light as the key with no attachment. I used another light pointing straight down on the paper to bounce up and fill the model from below giving her a yellow glow from below. I didn’t do much editing to the lighting aside from a little contrast and basic retouching in post production. I did desaturate the rhinestones in the first two photos to make them pop more.

For the gold and pink look: I pulled back the kicker lights and angled them so they would light more of her body. I attached a beauty dish to the key light, using no gel, and removed the fill light. And the kick lights stayed about 3/4 of a stop higher than the key light, just strong enough to show that color but not too high to blow out detail.

For the final look I went back to the first lighting setup but didn’t use the yellow fill light this time.

Ultimately the lighting setup was pretty basic but I had to play around with the power depending on how each gel effected the light.

The behind the scene shots can give you a visual idea of how the lighting was set up.

My good friends, a local rock band called The Static have released their new zombie hunting music video called Raised By The Night. We were hoping to squeeze in a promo shoot and a music video all in one day but the promos had to be pushed back to a later date and those came out great and can be seen on my website. As for the zombie slaying video, that’s all we had time to focus on. The video was filmed and edited by band mate Taylor of Pop Motion Pictures, with a little help from the rest of the gang when it was his turn to be on camera. I even got to shoot some video myself. The wide and tight band performance shots were shot by me. The rest of the day was spent hanging out and shooting behind the scene shots of these goof balls.

I’m always happy to work with The Static, they’re the nicest guys and always impress me with their creativity. Especially with their super cool weapons, those were legit weapons!

“Awaken” is a beauty series I did for fun with one of my favorite models Juelles Chester, makeup artist Gina Robinson, hair stylist Chris Rushton. I shot this series at Softbox Studio. This was a chance for us to try something new that we haven’t done before. We really just wanted to play, so this isn’t the most cohesive story but I’m happy with what we created together. 🙂 Sessions Magazine even featured the gold images on their website: http://www.sessionsmagazine.com/2013/01/jackie-garcia/

Special thanks to the team and to Softbox Studio owner, Tim Coburn, for helping us out and allowing us to use the great studio space.

I was shooting the space shuttle by the Netherlands Carillon for my Photojournalism 2 class! This was super exciting, I was being a total photo dork and was even shaking and had to bump up the shutter to 1,000 because of it haha. I’m thinking I just filled a photojournalism category for my final portfolio review at school! ;D Thank you Prof. Dan Currier!

Some of my photos:

Some feature photos I shot for class. Everyone I met was super sweet and excited to watch the shuttle.

I’ve been letting my blog collect dust for quit some time, so I thought I’d finally sit down and tell about one of the more fun weekends I’ve had in a while. On October 22nd and 23rd my friends in Crash Boom Bang, a band I’ve been a fan of for a long time, just finished recording their music video for their song V.I.P. off their EP “These Wild Things.”

Just a few days before the shoot my friend Amanda Deprez tells me about CBB’s music video shoot and told me to ask Doug about helping out. I shot him a text asking if he needed any extra assistants for the shoot and he had already sent out an email looking for PA’s, I had received the email as well. 🙂 The first day of shooting was at District Underground Nightclub in D.C. I arrived there at 2:00pm met up with my friend Amanda and greeted Doug and the 8112 team. I began helping them unload equipment and shortly after the band arrived. I was greeted with hugs and smiles, I’ve missed these guys. I had a chance to lightly catch up with the guys and hang out for a moment and eat some delicious sandwiches. I helped direct extras for part of the day and got to shoot some behind the scene shots of CBB’s performance scene. Those lights were sick! I kept telling Omar (vocalist) to do some Michael Jackson moves so hopefully I see those in the video haha. I ended up having to leave early, to cover for someone at my part time job, and missed their next scene, shot at Studio 52 in DC. I was really bummed having to leave because I didn’t have much of chance to hang out. I said “bye” to the guys and Chaucer (guitarist) said he’d fill me in on their shoot the next day.

So, I went to work. It was super slow, saw like 8 people and was hoping to be elsewhere. After closing the store and arriving home, I realized I left the safe key in my pocket…again. So I knew I would have to drop it off in the early morning at 7:00am. Thus, I woke up early the next day and hadn’t yet received anything from Chaucer. I texted him asking what the deal was with today’s shoot. He responded with “We’re in Potomac, MD, at a Mansion. The cars are about to arrive. Can you shoot behind the scene pics?” I responded “uhhh what happened to shooting in Georgetown, D.C.? lol.” I asked to borrow my dad’s car, stopped by my school to rent a better camera than my own and made my way to Potomac, MD. Chaucer ended up giving me the wrong address but the right street. Once, I realized the address was wrong I just drove and kept an eye out for a video crew. A few minutes pass and I see a production crew, that was easy. 😉 I drove up the mansion drive way as Doug, driving one of the Bentley cars for the shoot, stopped and gave me a look. I heard someone say “are you kidding me?” And my immediate reaction was “shit, I just ruined a shot.” I shouted out my right window and asked Raul (bassist) if I ruined the shot, he laughed and said “you totally just did,” and motions me to park the car in back. After I parked the car I met with the guys and they reassured me that I didn’t ruin a shot and that they hadn’t started shooting yet….thanks Raul! 😡 That morning was fun, and I shared some laughs with the guys. I had to head out early to return my dad’s car and said I’d meet up with the guys later in Georgetown. Pergrin Perez had to leave earlier as well to start setting things up for the “yacht” scene. We took a quick walk around the Mansion, who’s owner was a very sweet lady. Then Pergrin and I made our way back to D.C.

I dropped off Pergrin, then made my way home before heading back to Georgetown. I live in Arlington so made it to the waterfront rather fast. I waited by the waterfront as Pergrin and Nicholas Cambata of 8112 Studios arrived on a boat to pick me and a few of the video girls up. Once on the yacht, I took a moment to introduce myself to some of the people working that day. Dina Dyme, the makeup artist from the night before was working on the yacht scene as well. We talked about doing some work together in the future, which I’m so stoked about. Dina started doing makeup for a few of the ladies including leading lady Morgan Summers, before the boys arrived to get their makeup done haha. I was super bummed the day before because I didn’t get to hang out, but the following day made up for it! Omar (vocalist & guitarist), was doing his scenes on the other side of the yacht as the rest of us chatted, snacked on m&m’s and enjoyed some drinks. Mauricio (drummer) and I talked about how surreal this whole video shoot was, this was “big league shit, stuff rappers do.” Mauricio mentioned how our friend Alex aka 80-Two of Rites of Ash, who was lending CBB his van for the shoot, wouldn’t believe any of it. We couldn’t of had better weather for the fall, it was sunny and gorgeous out.

We all had a blast shooting and hanging out on the yacht, we didn’t want to leave. And it seemed like we wouldn’t leave the yacht to get the last scenes done in Old Town Alexandria, VA. We eventually did make our way back to land and Nicholas took a moment to thank me for coming out to the shoot. He’s super nice and I appreciated him thanking me considering I didn’t do much that day except shoot behind the scene photos. He was a little surprised when I told him I was also going to Alexandria for the bank vault scene. I hitched a ride with the band to shoot the last scenes of the video. It was a long day for the crew, Morgan, and the band whom all had about three hours of sleep. I was pretty tired myself but was able to get more sleep then them. We went to a fishing store, which the name I can’t remember. The man working that night was really nice and funny and I’m pretty sure he told Morgan and I his name was “Grizzly.” Not sure if I remember all the details right but he did tell us a story about smashing his finger tips which made me cringe. Grizzly asked us to be careful around the fishing polls because they cost up to $500.00, so my first instinct was to keep Raul and Omar, whom were just a little tipsy, away. 😉 The final scene involved lots of smoke which had set off the fire alarm on the block. Which led to a little visit from the fire department. Despite everyone being super exhausted the bank vault scenes looked like some of the coolest footage. I’m stoked for the final video to be released. I had a blast that weekend thanks to 8112 Studios and Crash Boom Bang.<3

NEWS

Crash Boom Bang will be headlining at The 9:30 Club, on January 7th, 2012. They’re having their official CD Release. Get your tickets NOW! See ya there and “hard copies for everyone!” 😉

A few months ago I had a shoot with Kevin Famoso of The Interior. Kevin’s a local VA artist and I’ve been a fan of his bands Kenmore and Boys Will Be Boys for years. The first time I saw Kenmore was along with bands All Time Low, My Favorite Highway, Demas The Thief, Driving East, and Time Tells All. That show remains to be one of my favorites due to the great music I heard and the good times shared with my friends. The Interior is Kevin’s solo project and I’m stoked to hear more music from him. His EP titled “Self Portrait” was released on iTunes and Zune July 26, you know you want it! 😉

All in all, this shoot was rather laid back and casual, just the way I like it. Working with musicians is always fun and way less stressful than fashion shoots. And I was happy to photograph one of my favorite local musicians. Kevin and I decided to shoot in Georgetown in Washington, DC… right after that little flood. The canal was so low in this black and white shot.Kevin was a blast to work with. He was energetic and really involved in the shoot. Working with someone who knows what they want always makes things easier. And it’s not too hard to take a nice picture of a good looking, stylish guy. I used natural light and external flash to light this shoot.

It’s not easy taking on a musical project all by yourself but Kevin’s one talented guy and has done I great job from what I’ve heard. You can hear some of The Interior’s tunes here: http://www.facebook.com/theinterior

I’ve been having a blast with my fashion marathon over the past few months. My fashion portfolio is finally moving in the right direction. I’ve been shooting on location more which I totally love. I just wanted to comment on a few of my shoots done for class and portfolio. You can see all these images at www.flickr.com/jackieshadows

Nicolette Smith

Nikki is one of my newest friends, and she’s a great model. She’s so exciting and fun to photograph. She is down too shoot as long as we need to get the shot, and just keep shooting for fun. 🙂 This was my second time getting to photograph her and I’m so glad she was back to shoot. The first time I shot her was learning and making mistakes. This shoot was way cooler and was shot using flash. We shot in a basement. It is super grungy, and pretty sure Nikki spotted a rat scurry by. It was fun to contrast a beautiful model with a creepy, grungy basement. We both came into this shoot a little blind and open to whatever. This was a more spontaneous shoot, with little planning. However, I did envision Nikki being able to touch the ceiling or pipes, at least that’s what I wanted and we got it!

Nadia Christian

I did a shoot at Hook in Georgetown DC for an assignment, and Nadia was my model. This was my first time working with a model who wasn’t a friend I forced in front of the camera 😉 I was a little nervous hearing so many stories from classmates about models not showing up to shoots. I don’t know where they get their models from but Nadia is the complete opposite. She was so prompt and down for anything I asked. She didn’t mind lying up side down on Hook’s stairs for a few shots. Nadia is super sweet and has the greatest smile. I couldn’t have been happier with my first experience shooting a real model. Hook Restaurant is mostly neutral and white. So I wanted to have some bright red accessories that would pop in the photos, I went for a more commercial look.

You can find the dresses she wore at http://www.seladia.com/ I couldn’t resist buying those two dresses when I accompanied Photographer Jon Thorpe on his shoot with Seladia. Too many cute outfits for reasonable prices!

It takes a great team to make fabulous fashion! Ron and Juelles were a joy during this shoot. We all connected on big hair, glamour, and “drag queen” over the top makeup. We joked that Juelle’s eye shadow was Avatar and her eye lashes Black Swan inspired. We started the day fueled by Gaga and Bieber tunes and ended the day with fantastic editorial, fashion images. This shoot was so my style- wild styling and vibrant colors. And Juelles was awesome! You don’t need to direct her and she came up with spontaneous ideas. That salad prop was her idea and it’s hilarious. She was so much fun to work with.

I met Yuliya at Jon Thorpe’s Seladia shoot. She is such a personality; super sweet and funny. I approached Yuliya about doing a shoot at Black Cat, but ended up having her model for me at Rock & Roll Hotel in DC. I was originally going to shoot my friends’ band Hit This City there but we had to re-schedule. It was super last minute, and a little stressful trying to prepare wardrobe, and a hair/makeup vision. I just had to call Ron Blush to work his magic again. I bought a blue dress for under $20.00 at Annie Creamcheese in Georgetown, happy surprise since that place is high end retail. I asked Ron for big hair once again, and wild grey makeup (more black swan this time). I wanted Yuliya to have a rock edge to her, since we were shooting at a music venue. That day was a little hectic with mixed up equipment and shorter shooting time but all worked out in the end. And I couldn’t of had a greater person model for me that day. Yuliya was such a trooper through the madness, and I had a blast hearing her stories with Ron at the salon.

Victoria Bella

Hair: Selma (Bang Salon)

Makeup: Molly

Victoria reached out to me on my facebook about working together and I was flattered to hear she liked my recent work. However, I’m learning that shoots don’t always go as planned. My location fell through and I ended up combining forces with my friend Rosie Sandrovich on this shoot. Rosie had a location ready and she expressed she wanted to shoot two models. Juelles was going to be part of this shoot as well but there was a little mix up with her busy schedule. Those two are good friends, so we’ll just have to plan another team shoot in the future. Victoria is a classic beauty, and this image is my pride and joy. I’m really proud of my lighting and her great styling. Her makeup was twiggy inspired and her flowery pink dress was purchased at Hot Topic, surprising I know! I had purchased a similar dress and shoes for Juelles to wear and ended up keeping the shoes. Dangerous, when a model has the same shoe size as me haha.

My teacher assigned a student choice assignment for our final. And my head raced with all kinds of IAMX inspirations. I have been in love with the crazy geometric makeup and styling of the band. I also became obsessed with dangling light bulbs after I saw the President video….and the lights hanging in Rosslyn’s Cosi, which I frequent. So I contacted my old class mate from high school, Katascha, to see if she would model for me. She’s a strikingly pretty girl and I was stoked when she agreed to the shoot. She’s great at doing her own styling and did her own hair on location. But of course, I had to call my favorite stylist Ron Blush one more time to do that crazy IAMX makeup. I’ve been wanting to do more wacky shoots and that makeup was totally on point. I’m so happy Katascha was totally comfortable sporting that “mime chic” makeup haha, talk about a real trooper!